2025-02-28
News Categories : Committee News
It was disclosed during the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) that an employee of the Colombo Municipal Council had misused a land and official residence within the Borella Cemetery, owned by the council, to establish and operate a funeral palour since 1994.
These revelations were made during the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) Committee meeting held in Parliament, chaired by Hon. Member of Parliament Aravinda Senarath, on the February 25th and 27th recently. During the meetings, officials from the Colombo Municipal Council were summoned to review the Auditor General’s reports for the years 2022 and 2023, as well as the council’s current performance.
The Auditor General stated that the Colombo Municipal Council had not taken any action regarding the unauthorized business being operated within an illegal structure in the Borella Cemetery at the first Committee meeting held. Although COPE had previously recommended that a report be submitted detailing the measures taken before July 6, 2023, to reclaim the premises back to the Colombo Municipal Council, and a report was indeed submitted, no progress had been made in regaining possession of the building.
During the discussion, officials presented information regarding the unauthorized business, confirming that it was being run by an employee of the Colombo Municipal Council who had misused the official residence and land within the Borella Cemetery. It was also disclosed that this employee had previously been suspended from service but was reinstated. At this instance, the Committee Chair inquired whether the funeral palour had been registered as a legitimate business within the city of Colombo. The officials responded that while the funeral palour had not obtained the necessary permits, it had been registered as a company under the Registrar of Companies. The Chair further questioned how such a business could operate without an environmental report, to which the officials stated that such an operation would not be legally permissible. Consequently, COPE instructed the immediate shutdown of the illegal funeral palour.
The then-Commissioner of the Colombo Municipal Council, who appeared before the Committee, presented information regarding the unauthorized operation of the funeral palour. It was disclosed that the business had been in operation since 1994. She further disclosed that despite the employee's attempts to fraudulently obtain ownership of the land and business, these efforts were unsuccessful. Additionally, she informed the Committee that due to her continued efforts to address this issue, she had even faced death threats.
The former Municipal Commissioner revealed that this illegal operation was being carried out publicly and that the misuse of the building and land in question had caused a loss of 41 million rupees to the Colombo Municipal Council from between 1994 and 2020. Furthermore, as it is illegal for a government employee to engage in business, pointing out that the individual in question had fraudulently changed the name of the business from time to time to continue its operations. Additionally, it was revealed] that the Colombo Municipal Council employee managing this funeral palour had been accused of soliciting a bribe of 600,000 rupees for a burial during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as engaging in fraudulent issuance of receipts at the Borella Public Cemetery.
Members of the Committee pointed out that such a fraudulent operation could not be carried out by a single individual and that many other officials were involved in the process. As a result, the Committee proposed that action be taken against the individual under the Public Property Act. Consequently, the Committee Chair instructed the Chief Secretary of the Western Province to conduct an investigation into this business operation, which involved the misuse of state property, and to submit a report to the Committee within two weeks. In recognition of her revelations regarding this illegally operated funeral palour, the Committee commended the former Municipal Commissioner, and the Chair directed officials to ensure that the commendation was placed in her personal file.
Furthermore, the Committee also focused on the revenue from parking fees collected by the Colombo Municipal Council. It was disclosed that, as of 2024, the outstanding amount due from parking contractors was 580 million rupees. Accordingly, it was disclosed to the Committee that in 2025, parking contractors with outstanding dues would not be selected for tenders. Officials further stated that efforts to recover the outstanding amounts had already commenced. Additionally, the Committee was informed that, according to an audit report, land allocated for parking spaces for Colombo Municipal Council members had been sold to third parties. Officials clarified that traditionally, council members were allocated parking spaces near their offices. Consequently, the Committee Chair instructed officials to explore the possibility of reclaiming the misallocated lands from those who had obtained them.
The Committee also engaged in an extensive discussion regarding the smart street lighting project implemented by the Colombo Municipal Council. Initially promoted as a cost-free project for the Council, it was later revealed by the former Commissioner that the project had resulted in a loss of 2.45 billion rupees. She further disclosed that she had objected to certain conditions set by the company managing the project, which led to threats from an official of the company, including statements that posed a threat to national security. She informed the Committee that, during the relevant period, the control of street lights in Colombo’s high-security zone had been under the company’s management, raising serious national security concerns. Given the severity of the matter, the Committee Chair instructed that an immediate complaint be filed with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
Additionally, the Auditor General highlighted that the Colombo Municipal Council had over 5 billion rupees in outstanding property tax revenue. Despite annual increases in municipal revenue, the lack of a proper mechanism for collecting overdue amounts had resulted in the accumulation of arrears over the years. Officials from the Municipal Council acknowledged that these arrears had been accumulating for a long period and emphasized the need to properly identify properties with outstanding taxes. They proposed conducting a survey to obtain clear information on the properties in arrears, the amount due, and the responsible parties.
Committee members underscored the importance of preparing a structured report with a clear timeline for recovering these outstanding amounts. Accordingly, the committee instructed that a plan be implemented to collect outstanding dues from identified properties in the Colombo Fort area within a month. Additionally, the Chairman directed officials to prepare and submit a comprehensive plan within a week for identifying and collecting arrears in other areas of Colombo.
The committee also reviewed the progress of the process to regularize municipal land holdings. Officials stated that, with the support of the Survey Department and external stakeholders, all municipal lands would be legally regularized by the end of the year.
The committee meeting was attended by Hon. Deputy Ministers Nalin Hewage, Anton Jayakody, Sugath Thilakaratne, and Hon. Members of Parliament Ruwanthilaka Jayakody, Chandana Sooriyaarachchi, Sagarika Athauda, Attorney at Law, Oshani Umanga, Susantha Kumara Nawarathna, Dr. Janaka Senarathna, Dinindu Saman, and Lal Premanath, along with a number of public officials.
2025-03-24
The Committee on High Posts, which met in Parliament recently (Mar. 21), has approved the nominations to appoint two Ambassadors and a High Commissioner. The Committee also approved the nomination to appoint the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in New York, United States of AmericaAccordingly, the nominations of Mr. Ratnayake Mudiyanselage Mahinda Dasa Ratnayake, to be appointed as the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Republic of Cuba and Professor Pivithuru Janak Kumarasinghe, to be appointed as the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Japan were approved by the Committee on High Posts.The nomination of Mr. Senadheera Dumunnage Nimal Upali Senadheera, to be appointed as the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was also approved by the Committee on High Posts.Furthermore, the Committee on High Posts approved the nomination of former Chief Justice Jayantha Chandrasiri Jayasuriya P.C to be appointed as the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in New York, the United States of America.Committee on High Posts which met under the patronage of the Hon. Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, was attended by Hon. Bimal Rathnayake, Hon. Kumara Jayakody, Hon. (Dr.) Anil Jayantha, Hon. (Dr.) Hiniduma Sunil Senevi, Hon. (Dr.) Hansaka Wijemuni, Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara, Attorney at Law, Hon. (Mrs.) Chamindranee Kiriella, Attorney at Law.
2025-03-24
Although the former chairman stated that the series of programs, including the Smart Youth Exhibition, were carried out following a survey report, the council does not have such a report – officials of the National Youth Service Council states Provide a full report on the 3 committees that provided compensation to officials who faced complications due to political reasons, disregarding a cabinet decision – COPE Subcommittee The COPE Sub-Committee disclosed that Sri Lanka Youth Services (Pvt) Ltd, a subsidiary of the National Youth Services Council, had registered as a supplier and submitted price quotations to the council at higher rates. The matter emerged at the COPE Sub-Committee meeting chaired by Hon. Member of Parliament Chandima Hettiarachchi, which met recently (Mar. 19) in Parliament to review the Auditor General’s reports for the years 2022 and 2023, the current performance, and the progress of implementing recommendations made during the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) meetings held on February 18th and 20th, 2025. During the meeting held, the Sub-Committee inquired officials regarding the recommendation given to former Chairman of the Council Mr. Pasindu Gunaratne to provide all video footage related to the Smart Youth program, including the musical concert held. Officials informed the Committee that the relevant video footage had been handed over. The Committee extensively inquired regarding the payment of Rs. 120 million paid to the respective production entities for this purpose. It was disclosed that Sri Lanka Youth Services (Pvt) Ltd., a subsidiary of the National Youth Services Council, had obtained the contract at a higher cost and then outsourced the work to other institutions. Furthermore, although the former chairman stated that the Smart Youth program and exhibition had been conducted following a survey report, officials of the National Youth Services Council informed the Committee that no such report was available with them. The Chair of the Sub-Committee stated that a massive financial fraud had occurred in the conduct of the Smart Youth program. He instructed officials to conduct an independent investigation at the Ministerial level and submit a comprehensive report to the Sub-Committee within three months. He also directed the National Youth Services Council to conduct its own investigation and take legal action accordingly. Furthermore, the Committee discussed the issue of compensation payments to 40 officials who had faced complications due to political reasons. A Cabinet decision had been issued to appoint a committee of retired officials to handle these payments, but instead, three separate committees had been appointed by the council to grant compensation. The Sub-Committee instructed officials to submit a full report within two weeks, detailing the names of the officials who received compensation, the amounts paid, the dates of promotions, the dates of payments, the dates of approvals, and the names of officials who made the decisions. Moreover, the Committee extensively discussed a complaint regarding a diploma awarded by the National Youth Services Co-Operative Society Ltd (NYSCO). It was revealed that the Sri Lanka National Youth Services Council had no involvement in this diploma program operated by NYSCO. The Chairman of the National Youth Services Council further stated that NYSCO was no longer under the council’s control. Additionally, it was disclosed that the age limit for selecting the General Manager of NYSCO, which was previously set at 35 years, had now been raised to 50 years. The Chair of the Sub-Committee emphasized that the National Youth Services Council's name should not be misused and directed the council’s board of directors to investigate and take necessary actions. Furthermore, he instructed the Secretary to the Ministry to summon NYSCO’s top officials for an inquiry and stated that the Sub-Committee’s recommendations on this matter would be forwarded to the Cooperative Commissioner for necessary action. The Sub-Committee also held extensive discussions on the submission of annual reports and financial statements of the National Youth Services Council and Sri Lanka Youth Services (Pvt) Ltd to Parliament within the stipulated timeframes, as well as the proper functioning of audit and management committees. The meeting was attended by Hon. Members of Parliament Samanmali Gunasinghe, Jagath Manuwarna, Asitha Niroshana Egoda Vithana, Lakmali Hemachandra, Attorney at Law, Auditor General Mr. W.P.C. Wickramaratne, and several other officials.
2025-03-24
The actions taken by the Department of Motor Traffic regarding the 25 audit observations as per the recommendations of the previous COPA are unacceptable. Conduct a formal investigation again by appointing an independent team – COPA recommends. The government incurs a loss of 6.2 million due to the Department of Motor Traffic fraudulently issuing vehicle registration certificates for unused blank numbers –COPA disclose A loss of Rs. 122 million due to registration of other vehicles with cancelled foreign diplomatic vehicle numbers – Auditor General Due to the failure of charging the prescribed fees for the registration of 296 motorcycles falling under the engine capacity category of 201 to 450, the government has incurred a loss of Rs. 78.15 million. Additionally, it was disclosed at the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) that 3,088 motorcycles had been registered without Cabinet approval and without the necessary legal documentation required for registration. This matter was discussed during a recent meeting of the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA), chaired by Hon. Member of Parliament Aravinda Senaratne, held on the 21st of March at Parliament. The discussion focused on the Auditor General's reports for the years 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 pertaining to the Department of Motor Traffic and its current performance. Although the Department of Motor Traffic had been summoned previously before the Committee on 10.03.2025 to discuss the concerns related to it, it was sent back due to a lack of proper preparation. Furthermore, the Committee on Public Accounts also inquired into the implementation of the recommendations issued during the COPA meetings held in 2019. A detailed discussion took place regarding 25 points presented by the Auditor General concerning illegal vehicle registrations that had occurred before the integration of the Sri Lanka Customs computer system. Investigations conducted on this matter and the disciplinary actions taken against the responsible officials by the Department of Motor Traffic were also reviewed. During this discussion, the committee expressed strong disapproval of the department’s failure to take any disciplinary action against the relevant officials. It was emphasized that the reports submitted in this regard were entirely unsatisfactory. As a result, the Chairman recommended that immediate disciplinary measures be taken and that an independent team of officials be appointed to conduct the necessary investigations. COPA also paid attention to fraudulent vehicle registration certificates issued by incorporating the engine and chassis numbers of illegally imported vehicles into pre-existing registered vehicle numbers. It was revealed that this had resulted in a loss of Rs. 1.2 billion to the government. Additionally, the committee examined the fraudulent issuance of vehicle registration certificates for unused vacant registration numbers by the Department of Motor Traffic, which had caused a loss of Rs. 6.2 million to the government. Moreover, the misuse of diplomatic vehicle registration numbers to register other vehicles had led to a financial loss of Rs. 122 million. The Auditor General emphasized the importance of making the public aware of these matters. Following an inquiry into the corruption, fraud, and irregularities that have occurred within the Department of Motor Traffic, the committee recommended that disciplinary actions be taken against all responsible officials and that the progress of these actions be reviewed monthly. It was also recommended that the relevant legal enforcement authorities take necessary steps to implement the law regarding any criminal activities that had taken place. The meeting was attended by committee members, including Hon. Deputy Ministers Major General (Retd.) Aruna Jayasekera, Sugath Tilakaratne, Sundaralingam Pradeep, Nalin Hewage and Hon. Members of Parliament, J.C. Alawathuwala, Rohitha Abeygunawardena, Hector Appuhami, Kaveendiran Kodiswaran, Manjula Suraveera Arachchi, Attorney-at-Law Sagarika Athawuda, Oshani Umanga, Ruwanthalaka Jayakody, Susanta Kumara Navaratne, Chandana Suriyaarachchi, (Dr.) Janaka Senaratne, Chanaka Madugoda, T.K. Jayasundara, Dinindu Saman, and Lal Premanath, along with several government officials.
2025-03-24
Priority given to detecting unimplemented Committee recommendations of 4 Committees including COPE, COPA The Committee Appointed to Review Non-implementation of the Recommendations of the Parliamentary Committees, met for the first time on the 21st of March under the chairmanship of Hon. Minister Harshana Nanayakkara, Attorney at Law, at the Parliament. Accordingly, discussions were held regarding which unimplemented Committee recommendations should be prioritized for review. The Committee focused on examining the non-implementation of Committee recommendations issued by the Ninth Parliament. Among these, priority was given to reviewing the unimplemented recommendations of the Committee on Public Enterprises (CoPE), the Committee on Public Accounts (CoPA), the Committee on Public Finance (CoPF), and the Committee on Public Petitions. The Committee Chair stated that the Committee expects to take necessary steps to expedite the implementation of the unimplemented Committee recommendations by connecting with the respective officials responsible of carrying out the tasks. Hon. Deputy Minister Sunil Watagala, Attorney at Law, Hon. Members of Parliament Ravi Karunanayake, Ajith P. Perera, Oshani Umanga, and parliamentary officials were present at this Committee meeting held.
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